It’s Almost Summer! That Means Soup, Right?

Greetings Paleo Comfort Foods friends! It’s been slow going (between our house move and gym move and everything else going on), but we’re back with some new paleo recipes! Yippie! Thank you all for hanging in there with us these last many weeks!

Call me crazy, but when the weather gets warmer, I like soup. Not just any soup, but soup that has a kick. I think the folks living in super hot climates are on to something. That whole notion of letting capsaicin rev things up, get you sweating…maybe it’s my way of preparing for what is likely to be a crazy hot Atlanta summer (given the incredibly mild winter we had).

We had a bit of a cold spell this past week in Atlanta (which was a vast difference from the 80 degree weather we had in March). Yes, cold is a relative term, and low temps in the 30s to 40s isn’t *that* cold, but it’s still pretty chilly! I had to beg Charles to let me turn on the heat one of the nights! My ice-cold feet in the bed likely persuaded him. Fortunately, appropriate springtime temperatures returned this week, and that meant back to t-shirts and sunroofs open and getting that vitamin D. It also meant cooking up soup. Not a nice chilled carrot soup or something like that. Nope, a piping hot chicken tortilla-less soup.

For years, I have loved tortilla soup. It’s always been one of those menu items that jumps out at me. Unfortunately, it’s usually not the most paleo-friendly choice (very often corn or cornmeal is used in the recipe, along with tortillas, and sometimes contains white or black beans, which are pretty darn hard to pick around in soups!). So I set out to create something that was reminiscent of some of those tortilla soup flavors, but without the tortillas.

Here’s how this one went down. Note: this one was pleasing to *my* palate, and did not set my mouth on fire, much to Charles’ chagrin. Want more heat? As you likely know by now, not all jalapenos are created equal, and some lack some punch. Others will light you up like a Christmas tree. To see how hot your jalapenos are, cut off a bit and taste it before setting your own mouth on fire! If it’s got some serious kick, choose wisely based on your taste preference!

Paleo Comfort Foods’ Chicken Tortilla-less Soup

Yield: Approximately 8-1o main course servings, more or less depending on how hungry we are! And Whole30 friendly!

** – according to Muir Glen, they started using BPA-free cans in their 2011 packaging cycle. You can read more here and here.

Instructions1. Preheat your oven 375 degrees Fahrenheit (350 for convection). Place your chicken breasts in a large baking pan, and pour one tablespoon of oil over all, coating well. Sprinkle your fajita seasoning over the chicken, coating well, and place in the oven. Cook for about 30-45 minutes (depending on the size of the chicken pieces) until cooked through and liquid from chicken runs clear. Using two forks, shred the chicken (while this is not so easy to do while the chicken is hot, I find I get a better “shred” if I do so while the chicken is still hot). Alternately, you can just chop the chicken into small pieces.
2. Meanwhile, in a large dutch oven over medium heat, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, and when hot, add in the onions. Cook until onions are translucent, about 4-6 minutes.
3. Add in the garlic and peppers and saute for about 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
4. Pour in the chicken stock and fire roasted tomatoes and bring to a medium boil.
5. [THIS STEP IS OPTIONAL] If you want a slightly thickened soup, strain out some of the tomatoes, onions and peppers to a blender or Magic Bullet and puree. Pour back into the broth mixture. I did this with about 1/2 of the solids in the soup.
6. Add the chicken, cilantro and lime juice to your bubbling cauldron of goodness. Taste to see what you’re in need of (salt? pepper? more of a kick?) and adjust as need be.7. Serve nice and hot with some fresh cilantro and chopped up avocado to go on top. Maybe a wedge of lime if you’re feeling pretty tart, or some extra diced up jalapenos or poblanos if you need more heat. Heck, get out the hot sauce if you really want some zing!

Bucking that whole iced tea trend, what hot foods or beverages do you like to enjoy in the heat of the summer? What soups do you most look forward to in the summer? Happy eating friends!

By Kim May 8, 2012 - 2:09 pm

Hi Kim – I actually have no idea. We don’t count calories in our dishes. You could try putting the info into NutrionData or some other website to do the calculations. The great thing about paleo is that there really is no calorie counting – but I do realize that for some that is something they need to/must do. Which is why it’s great there are so many free calorie counters on the internet!

By Amanda May 23, 2012 - 1:16 pm

This was awesome a total do-over! My really picky child devoured her bowl and even asked for more, I couldn’t believe it. I did add some sliced peppers 1 red, green and yellow. I even gave some to my neighbors and they loved it as well, they asked for the recipe. My family gives it 5 stars

By Faith June 12, 2012 - 2:23 pm

I just made this last night for my non-paleo eating boyfriend, and we both absolutely loved it. The only adjustment I made was I used Rotel instead of the fire roasted tomatoes, because I forgot to buy them. This is one recipe where I don’t mind having leftovers!

By Rachel July 11, 2012 - 11:35 am

Thanks! I went for it and it came out *wonderful*. It’s now in my permanent rotation of soups! It was also easy to serve to those in my family who are not paleo and they were able to dunk their tortillas/chips in while I had my delicious, totally filling soup with gobs of avocado. SO grateful to you!

By Amy Ruddock October 10, 2012 - 11:28 pm

I have to tell you, this soup was AMAZING!! I was heating up leftovers in the teacher’s lounge and everyone kept asking what smelled so good, so I gave everyone a little cup full and they all devoured it and asked for the recipe.

By Maritza October 12, 2012 - 11:37 pm

We freeze soups quite a bit – though we’ve not frozen this one in particular (though I think it would freeze great). Just make sure to cool the soup completely in your refrigerator first – then into the freezer!

By Maritza October 16, 2012 - 11:29 pm

Awesome! Thanks, Jules! Ive frozen many things, but suprisingly never soup…guess thats bc i dont make enough soup often enough to freeze. Im trying this on Sunday…i will prob freeze without the avocado, too. Cheers!

By Crystal M. October 15, 2012 - 10:47 am

By priscilla October 21, 2012 - 9:21 pm

I made this tonight, and it was amazing!!! the depth of flavor is what really separates it from a mediocre soup. i made a few changes though – i only used one lime, and because my husband doesn’t like vegetables, i blended the onion, peppers, garlic, cilantro, and tomatoes. also, i pureed one chicken breast, which gave the soup an incredible thickness, along with about two teaspoons of crushed red peppers, which gave the soup a really nice spice. seriously, this is now one of our favorites, and i’m sure i will make it countless times in the years to come. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!

By Heather February 8, 2013 - 7:40 pm

Delicious. Blizzard today. Made this for dinner. Whole family loved it! They topped theirs with non-GMO tortilla chips and I put half an avocado and some shredded raw grass-fed cheddar on mine. Perfect for a cold snowy day.

By Jennifer March 11, 2013 - 11:49 am

I made this and I loved it! Next time I will use my magic bullet to make it a little thicker. Also, my oven is missing racks, so I improvised by boiling the chicken and then shredding. When my new racks come in, I will bake the chicken and use chicken breast with the bone for a little more flavor.

[…] Instructions 1. Preheat your oven 375 degrees Fahrenheit (350 for convection). Place your chicken breasts in a large baking pan, and pour one tablespoon of oil over all, coating well. Sprinkle your fajita seasoning over the chicken, coating well, and place in the oven. Cook for about 30-45 minutes (depending on the size of the chicken pieces) until cooked through and liquid from chicken runs clear. Using two forks, shred the chicken (while this is not so easy to do while the chicken is hot, I find I get a better “shred” if I do so while the chicken is still hot). Alternately, you can just chop the chicken into small pieces. 2. Meanwhile, in a large dutch oven over medium heat, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, and when hot, add in the onions. Cook until onions are translucent, about 4-6 minutes. 3. Add in the garlic and peppers and saute for about 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. 4. Pour in the chicken stock and fire roasted tomatoes and bring to a medium boil. 5. [THIS STEP IS OPTIONAL] If you want a slightly thickened soup, strain out some of the tomatoes, onions and peppers to a blender or Magic Bullet and puree. Pour back into the broth mixture. I did this with about 1/2 of the solids in the soup. 6. Add the chicken, cilantro and lime juice to your bubbling cauldron of goodness. Taste to see what you’re in need of (salt? pepper? more of a kick?) and adjust as need be. 7. Serve nice and hot with some fresh cilantro and chopped up avocado to go on top. Maybe a wedge of lime if you’re feeling pretty tart, or some extra diced up jalapenos or poblanos if you need more heat. Heck, get out the hot sauce if you really want some zing! – See more at: http://paleocomfortfoods.com/recipes/its-almost-summer-that-means-soup-right/#sthash.Wkuzxf8G.dpuf […]

By kaprian November 14, 2013 - 7:22 pm

Thank you for this great recipe! I had to go with a few substitutions – plum tomatoes, fire roasted green chiles, rotisserie chicken breast (that I had tossed in the taco seasoning). Also put some of the seasoning with the cooking onions, garlic, and peppers. SO GOOD.

[…] readers questions about dairy. Watch–Double Under Positioning, with Dan Bailey. Eat–Chicken Tortilla-Less Soup. I was really craving chicken tortilla soup this weekend and found this recipe. It was very easy […]